Criminals Operating Malware Supermarkets

[tgell]

{QUOTE-> Cybercriminals can enjoy special offers and volume discounts on malware and e-mail lists of potential victims. <-QUOTE}

Article (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137009-c,cybercrime/article.html)

[argus tuft]

Interesting article. I suppose that it was inevitable, really.

[beethoven]

I wonder how you pay for a trojan or a list of future victims?
Is payment done by creditcard and are they just using some stolen cards/numbers or is there honour amongh thieves? :-\

[TOMxEU]

You can simply pay by a credit card, all you have to is to make sure, that you do not have an infected PC. ;)
{QUOTE-> If using malware to attack users is so lucrative, why do some criminals choose to sell their expertise rather than exploit the programs themselves? This is a harder question to answer, but could have something to do with risk. Better a low-risk, lower return that is guaranteed than a high-risk, high-return one that is not. <-QUOTE}
Well, creating a malware, "for testing purposes", is not a crime, but putting it to a use is a criminal act, including its selling. :)
Like 25-year old Li Jun, who has written Fujacks worm, and sold it for $12,500 was now sentenced to four years in prison - article (http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/09/fujacks-jail.html).

[mercurie]

Very interesting.

I had a difficult time getting over the fact that you use to buy "Trojans" for an entirely different reason. ;) Now Trojans in modern time has two meanings.

My how times have changed. ::)

[ErikAlbert]

Now everybody can get malware and use it to pest other people, if they are angry with them. Not a good development.